


a cry at the final breath

by thor_odinson



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, Grief, Grief/Mourning, Heartbreaker, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:26:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22802518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thor_odinson/pseuds/thor_odinson
Summary: Yang receives some troubling information mid-way through a fight.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	a cry at the final breath

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to my love stevie (@rimmymftim on tumblr) for the idea and for giving me permission to take a crack at writing it. i haven’t written angst in a very very long time, but I think okay, so let me know what you thought?

Ruby slashes at James with Crescent Rose, feeling the impact as he puts up his metal arm for defence. She’s pushed backwards, and out of the corner of her eye, she sees Yang, Blake, Weiss, and Penny each taking on an Ace-Op. 

They’ve been fighting for at least an hour now. (She lost track of time soon after then.) It didn’t have to be this way. If James had just  _ listened  _ to them, they wouldn’t be at each other’s throats like this. But that’s the problem with an over-confident man posing as a ‘leader’: he never stops to question whether his actions are ones that’ll save the city, or ones that’ll save him. 

James cocks his guns, bringing Ruby back out of her thoughts. He aims, and immediately she bursts into rose petals, speeding past him and then launching herself into the air. She sends him flying into the wall with the blade of her scythe; he lands with a crash. 

“Wait, what?” comes a voice to her right. She turns: Yang is stood mid-battle, brows furrowed. Marrow’s arm is ready to hurl Fetch at her, and Ruby’s eyes widen. 

“Yang! Watch out!” 

Somehow her yell brings Yang back into herself, and Ruby watches as she blocks Fetch. She doesn’t have time to think further on it because James is about to attack her again but she swears she sees fire glowing in Yang’s eyes. 

Ruby blocks the incoming attack, and whenever she can, keeps an eye out for Yang. She can’t be sure but it seems like Yang’s fighting is stilted and constrained. Whatever it is has to have shaken Yang up badly for her abilities to suffer like this. 

At one point, Ruby ends up near Yang, and she holds onto her arm. “What’s wrong?” she asks, frowning.

Yang sniffs back tears. “My mom. My mom just died,” she whispers. Her lip quivers. 

Oh. Ruby doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, the news not being what she expected, but then seems to make up her mind. 

“I’ll get you out of here,” says Ruby, determined. 

Yang’s eyes widen. “What? No! I’m  _ going  _ to keep fighting,” she says, holding her head up high and jerking her arm out of Ruby’s grip. 

And she does. Yang is slow to fully come into the powers of the Spring Maiden, but once she does, the Ace-Ops and James are no longer a threat. With Penny’s Winter Maiden powers and Yang’s Spring Maiden powers, the fight is over almost instantly. 

As soon as Yang lands the finishing blow, her legs give out and and she sinks onto the floor, head in her hands. 

“Yang!” cries Ruby as she runs over to her sister, dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around Yang’s shaking body. 

Paying no attention to anything around her, Ruby rests her cheek against Yang’s hair and reaches for her hand. She finds it hard to be mournful for Raven; seeing Yang break down is much more heartbreaking.

“ _ Mom _ ,” sobs Yang, head falling into Ruby’s lap. “What happened?!” 

Her words slowly lose coherence as she continues to cry. Blake kneels beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Ruby looks over at Blake; their faces mirror only a slight part of the anguish coursing through Yang.

Ruby doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t know what happened, and she really couldn’t care less, but Raven is Yang’s mother, and Yang is hurting, so she needs to find out. 

She  _ will _ find out. She’ll find out what had happened to Raven Branwen even if it kills her. 


End file.
